The first idea when I saw the double media this week, was, of course, to write about my own player, that unlike any other of my creations have been all over the league map playing for many teams, sometimes changing them during free agency, but more often than not being traded. Then I started to write a title The most traded S41 player, but since I've written recently the S41 redraft, you might recall there was a gentleman that set probably some league records in that category (Hi paq/spec) and will be my next target using this double media spree to repair my almost empty bank account, that I need to replenish in order to fight regression and ultimately fight my way through to the SHL Hall of Fame.
This article will consist of 4 acts, as there were 4 separate trades that Piotr Czerkawski was part of, let's start chronologically with the one that had 2 years anniversary last Saturday: The New England Wolfpack Coup D'etat
So the title here might already suggest what was the reason for this offseason of S43/S44 blockbuster deal. At the time I was just coming off my rookie year with NEW and was looking forward to spending an entire career in the green, but just like in the NSFL, where I also got dealt after rookie year with Orange County Otters similarly the GM change forced the trade. Unlike there, where I was part of the deal that brought new GM to the team, it was after the new GM was announced. I don't want to get yet another time into this debacle, but Head Office went into the weird direction since it passed on several internal candidates and gave the reigns to the user that had a player under contract with a different team. Quite recently he was also fired from this very position due to cheating involving trading same draft pick several times.
Going back on the topic - this decision created a rift on the team and with Blizzard under no obligation to make this deal easy on the new GM leaving their team the following deal was the result of this situation:
To
Rights to Oisin Fletcher
Piotr Czerkawski (2.5M retained S44 and S45*) *if needed
S44 1st
To
Tigole Bitties
Brock Becker
S46 3rd
The rights to Fletcher soon translated into actually signing that already accomplished player at that point, that was MVP in S42, and future Hall of Famer of S53 class. Both Oisin and Czerkawski spent a couple of seasons with the Blizzard that was culminated with the winning S45 Challenge Cup and one of the most dominant regular seasons ever. Still, those were STHS times, and even though the team was stacked that also meant that only some part of the team got their fair share of points and Czerkawski, while max earner and expected to break out, struggled immensely with S45 career-low of just 14 points after he was already not that happy with just 28 in S44. Both those years in my eyes, despite winning the cup, hindered my HoF bid immensely and if I was league average (~40) points then with 600 points in 650 GP I'd probably be in my final season now. Anyway, back to the topic of the trades - this discontent and the mutual feeling it is a time to part ways led to the next trade described below. S45/46 offseason was also big for another reason - the expansion draft took place and the New Orleans Specters selected Oisin Fletcher (whose rights were also traded to Winnipeg earlier) with 4th OA pick, which resulted also in signings in the Big Crescent. To make matters even funnier (well, maybe not for the EDM/WPG) on the other side of that deal were rights to Nicholas Williams that also signed with the Specters that offseason.
And the last part to that deal was S44 1st round pick from Riot. Blizzard was really stacked in that draft by the way - 3rd, 4th and now 9th selected belonged to them, Ultimately they selected Willy Mack with that acquired pick. He spent 4 seasons with them in S46-S49, averaging about 30 points a season and was later sent to the Jets, in a deal that netted three additional picks - S50 Chiefs 2nd rounder, S50 Wolfpack 3rd, S50 Chicago 4th. The latter two were passes, but the first one netted Kevin Robinson. Kevin Robinson was traded before ever playing a single game for Blizzard to the Toronto North Stars alongside First Name Last Name for S54 Stars 4th. I kind hope this will be it at this point, but of course no, somehow this 4th was one of like 7 picks used in that round in S54 draft and was used to select Bryce McMahon, that is still an active prospect for the Whalers and maybe next year will be making productive debut for the Blizzard.
Okay, let's summarize the Blizzard side since it's getting quite complicated and I'd like to close that trade tree:
Rights to Oisin Fletcher -> Signed with EDM & 2 seasons played there -> traded as Free Agent for Free agent rights to Nicholas Williams (signed with NOLA ultimately)
Piotr Czerkawski (2.5M retained S44 and S45*) -> 2 seasons played there -> trades as Free Agent for S46 TBB 4th (S46 TEX 3rd wasn't conveyed as Czerkawski didn't sign with TBB, opting for NOLA instead) -> Taisei-Tiikeri Wawazat
S44 1st -> Willy Mack - 4 seasons played with EDM -> Traded to EDM for S50 Chiefs 2nd, S50 Wolfpack 3rd, S50 Syndicate 4th -> Kevin Robinson, later traded to the Toronto North Stars alongside First Name Last Name for S54 Stars 4th -> Drafted Bryce McMahon
Overall despite losing former MVP and future two times winner of Jay McDonald after just 2 seasons Edmonton fulfilled their ambitions with one of the best seasons ever in S45 that culminated with Challenge Cup trophy. Additionally, they netted 1st rounder that turned into a productive player (Willy Mack) that even brought further value back, that is now Bryce McMahon, S54 Right Winger.
Now for the Wolfpack side, we have Tigole Bitties, GM's player, that spent his remaining 8 years in the green.
Brock Becker played couple seasons in New England and midway through S46 was traded to the BUF after signing 1-year extension alongside S47 Platoon 2nd for S47 Stampede 1st. That pick allowed Wolfpack to draft Slap McShotty, that has been more than a solid player for them, even making SHL 1st Team one time.
Last part of that deal for the NEW was S46 EDM 3rd, and of course, it had to be traded as well, took some effort but I found the deal - so they turned this 3rd alongside Platoon 3rd they acquired in different trade into 37 OA that turned into yet another stud - Dick Clapper - played 8 seasons in the Wolfpack uniform, before being sent to the Hamilton in a Blockbuster deal worth 4 pages and 4 1st rounders. And forgive me, but I'm going to stop here with this trade tree since it's starting to grow exponentially and is still very much in progress. Still quite funny for me, you can trace part of it back to that S45 swap deal.
For the Wolfpack, it's harder to judge (especially since I'm biased as heck), since, despite the S43 not going their way, they still were S42 Challenge Cup Finalists (my first SHL games were played in the Finals) and this trade was the start of many more to spearhead the rebuild. The pinnacle of it was S49 finals appearance, but it ended up in a sweep, so even that previous S42 gen achieved more judging it that way. Judging by the Clapper/Zhang deal linked above yet another period of rebuilding/retooling is happening in New England.
Edmonton Blizzard receive:
S46 TBB 4th
S46 TEX 3rd*
*Texas pick is only exchanged if Czerkawski signs with the Barracuda
So I basically already covered this trade in the previous section, as Tampa Bay got nothing from this deal (unless they value somehow my weekly stay in their locker room) and EDM part was unravelled. So let me just voice my disappointment that free-agent rights trades are even a thing in the SHL because they are the product of in my opinion flawed free agency system, which boils down to single thing - really limited window to sign free agents. It usually comes when teams are already set, either via extension or drafts and most of the salary cap space is locked in. Might be looking kind of weird coming from a guy that nabbed $8.5M deal this past FA (and there were even bigger deals), but I was close to signing far less enticing extension, because of SHL stingy stance on this. If not for the expansion that showed me there will be interest in the free agency at least from the new teams (as they were free to contact potential free agents or exposed players, not sure at this point tbh) I'd likely settled for a worse offer. If Free Agency opened just after Challenge Cup winner is decided (or following Monday), before the draft is done that would open plenty more time for potential talks and finding the best situation for one player.
trade:
S54 1st (SFP)*
*SFP can choose to send S55 1st instead, prior to the S54 draft.
So to give some perspective I thought I was done with the SHL at that point, because of a poor start to my career, but the years in NOLA, not even knowing that when I decided to switch places once again, really rejuvenated, both in terms of results on ice and putting an effort into keeping Czerkawski afloat. 6 years of Czerkawski in the Big Crescent were certainly his best, but the following 3 years in SFP were quite nice too, with respectively 40, 58 & 50 points in those, that also culminated in Challenge Cup appearance, but just as with NEW & NOLA previously ended in Heart-Breaking defeat, this time against the team I'm playing for now - Manhattan Rage. I wanted to go to Pride in that deal for many reasons - they were still the underdog, and I love playing for them, made a great effort in previous free agencies to acquire my player (which pays off even long term as I'm sure Rage can attest too), had a bunch of players I wanted to play with and the franchise had a certain appeal that made me want to go there.
NOLA decided to capitalize early on that pick and traded it for S52 CHI 1st that turned into Olli Saarinen Jr. that is now sharing goalie duties with Aleister Cain, quite a solid pickup for an aging vet.
Off all trades I was part of this was the biggest surprise to me, for a variety of reasons: because I thought I was on the NTC deal, but this was one time I forget to ask Grape to attach it. While at it, the sudden GM change due to Grape going AWOL was another big shock. Then the thing is that I learned about this trade from forums, GM asked me on Discord where I'd rather go - BUF or TEX, which both, to be frank, would be rather low on my go-to list (still it wasn't bad to play for Renes that 1 year), but it was middle of the night where I'm at, and before I was able to reply the deal was done to my surprise. The last part of the surprise was the size of the package it cost to get me - the S41 vet, that has a history of changing teams, so basically no assurances for Texas that it's not a 1-year rental, which it turned out to be. I kind of wish SFP GM at the time took his time because we probably could arrange better deal (like Sign & Trade to the team I'd like to play for) for all sides - they could get a better return package and I'd be happy as well of course. Another tidbit here is that it was yet another time Czerkawski cursed GM - first, we had NEW change, then I'm pretty sure karlssens was stepping down around S45 too, then Grape going MIA & finally midway through S55 dankoa announced that he is stepping down.
So time to analyze the deal - for Renes it's simple - they got vet forward, that probably helped them get into the postseason, but they were swept off the face of the earth by the Blizzard in the first round. Still, I guess it's a success for young and up and coming team to make the first step and they are in a decent position to at least get into playoffs again this year.
SFP was in tore it down mode and got 2 players, one - Nathan Thomas S55 RD - is still a prospect in their system, 2-3 seasons away from playing in the SHL, so that's a plus and probably already more future value than a single season of Czerkawski's was worth. Unfortunately the other player in the deal for SFP - Emeka Valentine-Okoli - retired a month after the trade, so basically no gain for the pride here.
The S57 2nd & S58 3rd might not be high 2nds & 3rds with how well Texas is positioned for the future, but still should bring some value to the team that desperately needs it.
Was this the last deal to involve Czerkawski in the SHL? God, I hope so, both because I really enjoy my time in Manhattan and can easily imagine playing there till my final days and because I already had my fair share of deals being part of.
10-16-2020, 07:23 AM(This post was last modified: 10-16-2020, 07:24 AM by Ace.)
An innocent mistake = cheating to this guy when the team he played on literally cheated on multiple occasions, had to have rulebook changes because of it, and their management staff remained happily employed.
10-16-2020, 07:04 AMdankoa Wrote: Lmao sorry I denied you the chance to play on a 16 win Pride team by trading for you
I'm not, it was a good year not a part of this article was meant to be slight at you or the Renes, if anything it was directed how Pride management at the time handled it all. I still mean what I said in the parting message in the Renes discord that it was a pleasure being with a team for a season and wish you good luck in the future. My feeling at the time of the trade (this part GM asked me on Discord where I'd rather go - BUF or TEX, which both, to be frank, would be rather low on my go-to list), where based on the outside opinion and what I heard from others, which as usual turned out to be quite misleading. Quite sure if I ended up on BUF, which from what I heard were close to acquiring Czerkawski back then, I'd happy there too.
10-16-2020, 07:22 AMAce Wrote: Due to cheating? Shut the fuck up Maj.
10-16-2020, 07:23 AMAce Wrote: An innocent mistake = cheating to this guy when the team he played on literally cheated on multiple occasions, had to have rulebook changes because of it, and their management staff remained happily employed.
10-16-2020, 07:25 AMAce Wrote: Maybe you should look in the mirror as to why you are traded so often.
I hit a nerve, haven't I? One time could be a mistake, but multiple times? Each time getting caught red-handed if you at least come out of your own volition, then maybe we could talk about some degree of innocence. Please, GMs should be held to higher standards. I'm surprised the league allowed to keep you any of the jobs as a repeat offender([1], [2]), and not with just cheating as GM but also other actions like getting suspended for other behaviour that should have no place here.
Not sure how I'm in any way responsible for the acts of the teams I was part of a regular player, never having war room/scouting/coaching duties in the SHL either so literally 0 ties to decision making, yet somehow you desperately want to pin something on me. And even then, clearly, you haven't read the article, since I assume you are taking shots at NOLA and for better or worse I wasn't part of that team for quite a while now, and certainly not during FHM era that forced some new rule. Or maybe you imply that somehow Pride Goalie debacle when they had a wrong call-up, was also somehow connected to their 1st Line Forward? By the way - SHL Suspensions/Punishment subforum is just something else in the sim league world.
As for being traded so often, 2 out of 3 times were my chosen destination, the one other time was meaningless free agent rights trade. It's also a nice to change of pace from my main leagues in PBE/NSFL, where I'm like combined 35 seasons staying with the same teams (well, to be exact, I recreated in both leagues during that streak, now having a home with new teams that drafted me, but I'm sure everyone gets what I mean here). So thanks for making me look in the mirror, it actually improved my mood and I feel more than fine with my reflection.
10-16-2020, 07:22 AMAce Wrote: Due to cheating? Shut the fuck up Maj.
10-16-2020, 07:23 AMAce Wrote: An innocent mistake = cheating to this guy when the team he played on literally cheated on multiple occasions, had to have rulebook changes because of it, and their management staff remained happily employed.
10-16-2020, 07:25 AMAce Wrote: Maybe you should look in the mirror as to why you are traded so often.
I hit a nerve, haven't I? One time could be a mistake, but multiple times? Each time getting caught red-handed if you at least come out of your own volition, then maybe we could talk about some degree of innocence. Please, GMs should be held to higher standards. I'm surprised the league allowed to keep you any of the jobs as a repeat offender([1], [2]), and not with just cheating as GM but also other actions like getting suspended for other behaviour that should have no place here.
Not sure how I'm in any way responsible for the acts of the teams I was part of a regular player, never having war room/scouting/coaching duties in the SHL either so literally 0 ties to decision making, yet somehow you desperately want to pin something on me. And even then, clearly, you haven't read the article, since I assume you are taking shots at NOLA and for better or worse I wasn't part of that team for quite a while now, and certainly not during FHM era that forced some new rule. Or maybe you imply that somehow Pride Goalie debacle when they had a wrong call-up, was also somehow connected to their 1st Line Forward? By the way - SHL Suspensions/Punishment subforum is just something else in the sim league world.
As for being traded so often, 2 out of 3 times were my chosen destination, the one other time was meaningless free agent rights trade. It's also a nice to change of pace from my main leagues in PBE/NSFL, where I'm like combined 35 seasons staying with the same teams (well, to be exact, I recreated in both leagues during that streak, now having a home with new teams that drafted me, but I'm sure everyone gets what I mean here). So thanks for making me look in the mirror, it actually improved my mood and I feel more than fine with my reflection.
You don't need help patting yourself on the back, you do it well enough as it is Maj. Here's that cup of attention you ordered.
10-16-2020, 11:15 AMAce Wrote: You don't need help patting yourself on the back, you do it well enough as it is Maj. Here's that cup of attention you ordered.
Ah the fabled SHL glory I seek so much by doing double media, that was it! Certainly not my blank bank account here that motivated me to write this piece.
Is this a challenge to be able to create 3 lines?
And then switch to defenceman for two pairings?
And finally, force the league to institute the ability to swap goalie <-> skater and finish this career with back to back starter & backup seasons?
majesiu
Tampa Bay Barracuda receive: 
trade:
trade:
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![[Image: dankoa2004.gif]](https://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/dankoa2004.gif)
Ace![[Image: IjSNXNZ.png?ex=67f7fdab&is=67f6ac2b&hm=1...21ed1551b&]](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/737063226822361109/1359578521139155245/IjSNXNZ.png?ex=67f7fdab&is=67f6ac2b&hm=1fc80e888803662c535b04437e9e2177e38d307328ac5c49ef1e61a21ed1551b&)
not a part of this article was meant to be slight at you or the Renes, if anything it was directed how Pride management at the time handled it all. I still mean what I said in the parting message in the Renes discord that it was a pleasure being with a team for a season and wish you good luck in the future. My feeling at the time of the trade (this part GM asked me on Discord where I'd rather go - BUF or TEX, which both, to be frank, would be rather low on my go-to list), where based on the outside opinion and what I heard from others, which as usual turned out to be quite misleading. Quite sure if I ended up on BUF, which from what I heard were close to acquiring Czerkawski back then, I'd happy there too.
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